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Wednesday, 18 May 2016

How to Grow your Hair wearing Wigs

Wigs are a great way to grow out our hair. This is because when
your hair is protected under a wig it is prone to less breakage, manipulation,
shedding and so on. Wigs may even be more beneficial to the hair than other
protective styles such as weaves and braids because you have complete access to
your hair allowing you to provide adequate treatment to it. Wigs are therefore
a good way to grow your hair out if you have recently suffered breakage, hair
loss or hair damage. There are many options of wigs to choose from such as
u-part wigs, half wigs, lace wigs, etc. Wigs provide versatility as you don’t
have to constantly think of styles to do to your hair. However don’t think that
you can just wear a wig and proceed as normal without taking adequate care of the
wig and your hair underneath.

There are certain
things that you need to do prior to wearing your wig to ensure that your hair
gets the maximum benefits possible:

Ensure that you wash
and deep condition your hair prior to installation: Before wearing your wig for a long
period of time, you should wash and deep condition your hair prior to getting
it braided underneath. It is therefore important that prior to the installation
of your wig you assess the condition of your hair i.e. whether it needs a clarifying
shampoo or a protein or moisture based deep condition and treat it accordingly.
This will ensure that your hair is clean and properly nourished and conditioned
prior to wearing the wig. When you have washed and deep conditioned your hair
prior to installing the wig you are able to wear the wig for a longer period of
time and you also avoid dryness or breakage to your hair.

Ensure that your wig is
not too tight or too loose: Your wig must be a perfect fit, if it feels very tight it can cause
hair breakage because of abrasion to your scalp and if it is too loose it will
not be secure anytime you wear it.

Cornrow, weave,
braid/plait your hair underneath the wigs: It is important that you weave or braid your hair
underneath the wig to ensure that it is well protected and not exposed to any unnecessary
stress. This also ensures that the wig lies flat against your head. If you
simply put your hair up in a bun or pin it up, chances are that there may be some
friction between your hair and the wig which can result in breakage. It is therefore
better to ensure that your ends are properly covered and protected. If you can
braid your hair like it is done where the ends are not exposed, this will work even
better such as in a beehive or snake pattern. To get the maximum benefit from
wearing a wig to grow your hair, it is advisable that you keep the braids or
cornrows in for a longer period of time. If you rebraid too often it may defeat
the entire purpose of wearing the wig which is to decrease the manipulation of
your hair.

Ensure that your
cornrows, braids/plaits are not done too tightly: When you are braiding your hair it
is important that the braids/cornrows are not done too tightly as this may lead
to breakage which will hamper the growth of your hair and the benefits to be
received from wearing the wig.

Do not wear a wig cap: A wig cap especially those made
from materials such as nylon, cotton, do not actually provide your hair with
any benefit. They may on the other hand cause damage to your hair over time
when you hair has been exposed to the synthetic fibres, which will rub on your
hair and cause moisture to evaporate from it. In the case of really tight wig
caps it can also pull on your hair and cause breakage.

The wig combs can cause
hair breakage: The
tiny combs attached to wigs need to be avoided. If your wig is one that has
the little combs and the strap at the back, I recommend you use the strap alone
to set the wig in place. This is because those little combs attached to wigs
can cause a lot of breakage to the hair when the wig is being removed, they can
also cause pain and discomfort when the wig is worn. Be mindful of how you
choose to secure your wigs to your hair as tension from wigs can result in hair
breakage especially around the hairline.

After applying all
these tips prior to the time you start to wear your wigs, it is crucial to do
the following afterwards to ensure that your hair attains optimum health and
growth:

Moisturise and seal
your hair regularly:
It is important that you moisturise and seal your hair prior to wearing the wig
or after you take it out at night. This can be done 2-4 times a week it really
depends on your hair and what suits it. Moisturising and sealing regularly would
ensure that your hair remains hydrated, conditioned and moisturised. However
you should not overdo it to prevent product build up and the clogging of your
pores.

Apply a growth aid to
your scalp (optional):
A growth aid applied to the scalp, may actually help things along in ensuring
that your hair grows out long and healthy. If you intend to keep your wash days
further apart you may apply your growth aid to your scalp about 1 – 3 times a
week. Some growth aids that can be used on the scalp include Wura’s Secret Hair Growth Oil, Castor Oil and so on.Due to the fact that you have easy access to your hair it will be easy to
oil your scalp.

Do not sleep in your
wigs: This is one of
the benefits wigs have over weaves and braids. A wig allows better circulation
of air to your hair because at anytime of the day and even at night you can take
it off. At night you can simply wear a satin/silk scarf/bonnet and fall asleep.
This will ensure that your hair has some time to air out and will also keep you
wigs lasting longer. It is therefore important to avoid falling asleep with your
wig on as wearing your wig constantly to sleep can actually cause the wig to
rub on areas of your hair and cause hair breakage.

Do not use Heat Tools
in an attempt to blend your Hair with the Wig: Constant use of heat in an effort to blend your
leave-out to match the rest of the wig will ultimately result in breakage,
dryness and so on. You can try to wear wigs which will match your hair as
closely as possible or you can find ways to make your hair blend with the wig
for example if it is a curly wig, you can do a bantu-knot out on the leave-out
hair so that it can match the wig.

Wash and Deep Condition
your hair frequently:
Wigs give you the versatility to wash your hair less often so you can go up to
three or four weeks without washing your hair. You can however wash your hair
every one or two weeks if you prefer. Before you wash it, it is important to
gently detangle to ensure you get all the shed hairs out. You can also choose
to clean your scalp lightly in between washes with baby wipes or face wipes.

Care for your wigs: It is important to also wash your
wigs after you are done wearing them and ensure that you apply some conditioner
on them as well. It is also important to brush them out to remove any tangles.

I hope you have all enjoyed this post. If you have any other
tips for anyone interested in wearing wigs to grow their hair, please share. If
you also have any questions or want to me to address any topic I would love to
hear them.

TONKABELLE, xoxo

"So spread sunshine all over the place, Just put on a happy face" - Bye bye Birdie, Put on a Happy Face

My hair was severely damaged and hairline was thinning out. I really wanted to protect my hair, so I visited one of the top trichology clinics. Then finally I realised that I should wear wigs as they advised and most of the time I wore wigs. I was very happy with the progress which I achieved.